Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-06

anything. While the buffalo is born in a
wild state, and ought to get accustomed
to storms, the sight of wolves, and all
kind of noises, he is tie most timid ami
NAL on earth. / have seen tie coming up
of dark cloud stampede ten thousand
buffaloes. have known the howl of a
wolf to set a big herd in motion. A fash
of lightning or clap of thunder seemed
to scare them half to death, although you
would argue that they would get used to
It, And once started, nothing but
mountain will turn the great wave aside
and only exhaustion would bring them
back to their senses. After q herd had
fairly started, terror seemed to take pos
session of them, and it was the devil
| seize the last one. Then it was woe TO
the pioneer or huntsr who happened to
be In their path without a grove to shell
ter him. / saw. In 1867, on the Loup fork
of the Platte river, an emigrant camp
which had been run over by a stampede.
There had been seven wagons and twenty
four people, with about thirty head of
horses and cattle. The rushing, terror
stricken herd struck the camp just at
day break, anu was fifteen or twenty
minutes passing. Only one human be-
ing escaped-a man who was carried off
on the back OF a buffalo, and left at
spot ten miles away. Not an animal was
left, not vehicle escaped destruction.
| saw the site Of the camp about noon of
that day, and there wasn't piece of any
of the heavy wagons which ] could not
have carried off under nay arm. The peo-
pie had been tramped into the earth
nnihilated-wiped out. The remains
could scarcely be recognized as those of
human beings.
But as to my own adventures. There
were four hunters of rs in the locality
spoken of, killing various kinds of game
and doing little trapping, and though
there plenty of red skins in that country,
they did not get on to us for a week We
had camp on small run or creek, with
a rove Of about dozen trees for shelter
and about two miles to the north was
spring and another grove. The Indians
hadn't got hold of Winchesters and knew
nothing of revolvers in those days, and
war party of less than twenty five would
have hesitated TO attack four hunters
We kept our eyes open, however, and one
was on the watch while the other three
slept We had been in camp nine or ten
days, and constantly surrounded by buffa
Ices, when, one afternoon, just before
sunset, 1t was apparent from the actions
of the animals that something was in the
wind. The detatchments were consolida-
ting, all stray bulls joining the herds, and
almost every buffalo ceased feeding and
acted anxious and ill at ease. That ment
Indians. Curious as you may think it
the presence of an Indian will disturb the
buffalOes sooner than that of the white
man.
] have spoken of the second grove. 1t
was composed of few stunted cotton
woods and was in no sense a shelter.
Now, this is what happened during the
night. A war party of about thirtY-fi
Indians took up their position in this
little grove, calculating to sweep down on
us at daylight and carry our camp by
storm. Along toward daylight they noun
ted and rode softly down to within
quarter of a mile of US and there waite
for day to break. They would be obser-
we'd by the seminal, but would make
rush and carry the camp. We'll, it was
just coming day, and five minutes more
would have discovered them to the SEN
final when the big herd which had been
gathering to the north of us began to
stampede. The seminal heard them at
the first start off, and reused us up and by
the time we had our guns in hand we
coald see the Indian war party. They
knew what was up better than we did,
but they were caught between two fires
and the chief was too slow witted for the
occasion. His policy should have been
to charge US. He might have lost six or
eight men, but the shelter of the grove
would haze saved the rest and given them
| our scalps to boot. He might not have
known our strength, and SO after spend.
ing the valuable minutes in reflection, he
ordered the party off to the left. The
only hope they could have was in riding
across the face of the herd, but that was
out of the question. The front covered
as we afterwards knew, a distance of
seven miles, and the Indians had barely
got started when the first buffalOes were
in sight They came thicker than bees
their heads down, horns rushing and feet
making a great clatter, and while we
saw the war party swallowed up in that
great heaving Sea of animal life. mo
ment later an old bull dashed into and
through the grove, and every man sprang
for tree. As was climbing up my feet
struck buffalo on the back, and before I
was secure only the five largest trees in
the grove we're standing. All others had
been uproeted by contact and three Grip
pied animals were lying on the ground
| beneath me. Our horses, camp, every
thing went in two minutes. The noise
was ten times more deafning than hur-
ricane at sea, and the terror of the ami
mails was something appalling.
/ have told you that the front of this
herd was seven miles across. You can
Judge what the depth Inust have been
when tell that they we're three hours in
passing. Every animal was running for
his life, and his pace could not have been
less than ten miles an hour. / shouldn't
When the last one had passed US the coun-
try about US was sight to behold. There
was at least one hundred and fifty dead
or crippled animals in sight and there
was swath seven miles wide which had
cut the very life out of the prairie. OF
all our com paign equipage we could no.
find one solitary article of wood, or iron
or leather. All our horses had been
| tram pied under within less than mile of
| the grove, and their bodies were sights
no one could look at twice. We spread
out to see what fate had befallen the In
dams, and we did not have to GO far
| They had been knocked down and SIAM